Work

Optimising multi-energy community hubs for decarbonisation and energy system flexibility

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Smart energy systems have been recognised as a crucial foundation for decarbonising Europe's energy supply, and their development has been identified as an important pathway toward achieving climate neutrality. This research aimed to determine the benefits of various energy community designs and examine the application of the energy hub concept within the selected energy community for analysis. This paper examines how various community structures can be designed to optimise energy management and efficiency, and how an energy hub approach can enhance the integration of energy sources and demand. A study was conducted, and calculations were performed within the framework of a pilot project utilising an existing energy community. The research results concluded that energy communities based on ground-mounted solar panel systems are expected to have higher construction costs compared to rooftop solar panel systems, making them more suitable for rural, suburban, or small-town areas. In Latvia, transmission system capacity limitations restrict individual consumers from adopting microgeneration systems. A scenario-based optimisation model was used to evaluate economically justified energy production pathways and emission reduction potentials. The study aimed to determine how energy communities can enable the increased usage of solar energy for self-consumption. The Base scenario describes the traditional energy system and the traditional connection scheme. The reduced emissions scenario describes the energy communities with enhanced surplus energy usage and partially decentralised energy supply. Through illustrating how multi-energy hubs can integrate renewable energy sources and enhance energy efficiency, this research contributes to supporting the transition towards decarbonisation by demonstrating their role. The study's results provide insights into the potential economic and environmental benefits and drawbacks of applying renewable energy sources in smart energy systems, considering various scenarios and technological solutions. • Energy communities can enhance the effectiveness and practicality of adopting renewable energy, especially solar energy, to enable local energy consumption, thus decreasing the reliance on the main energy grids and enhancing grid reliability. • The Multi-energy hub concept enables the combination of different forms of energy to increase energy use efficiency and system robustness. Thus, a Multi-energy hub is an important step towards transforming decarbonised energy systems. • Energy communities reduce electricity costs for members. Shared energy storage and the Peer-to-peer trading model increase the cost savings. Community-based solar energy solutions have a shorter payback period than individual installations. • By balancing local demand and supply, energy communities can help create a more stable energy system. Integrating distributed energy generation, storage, and demand-side management helps alleviate the stress on national grids during peak demand. • Energy Communities and Multi-Energy Hubs can only be fully effective if supported by the right policies, financial incentives and infrastructure development. Therefore, decentralised energy systems should be promoted through policy interventions to pave the way to a low-carbon future.

Source: Smart Energy

DOI: 10.1016/j.segy.2025.100214

Authors: Dace Paule, Ieva Pakere, Jelena Pubule, Dagnija Blumberga

Institution: Riga Technical University

Language: English

Topic: Integrated Energy Systems Optimization

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Climate action, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,750